NY Times: Dombrowski approached Yankees

In one of the more interesting tidbits coming out of the Pudge Rodriguez trade, according to the New York Times, it was the Tigers, not the desperate-for-catching Yankees, which first brought up the Pudge-for-Farnsworth swap.

July 31, New York Times: "I came to the office today just thinking about the Oriole game, not necessarily making a blockbuster deal," General Manager Brian Cashman said. "I've been dealing with LaTroy Hawkins being designated for assignment; I've got some activity there, and at some point I hoped to conclude something on him. But nothing like this."

The Hawkins move could wait. That was obvious at 10 a.m., when Cashman received a call from Dave Dombrowski, the president of the Tigers. Cashman says he has always appreciated Dombrowski's direct style, and Dombrowski hit him with a thunderbolt: he wanted Farnsworth for Rodriguez.

Months ago, Cashman had heard rumors that Rodriguez might be available. But he thought so little of it that he never bothered to check with Dombrowski, even after learning that Jorge Posada would not catch again this season.